Early Literacy Skill Spotlight: Print Awareness

Early Literacy Skill Spotlight: Print Awareness

Print is everywhere!  Words are all around us!  With this skill, kids learn that print makes up words and that those words have meaning.  This skill is also about showing how to handle a book, how to read the words from left to right, and how we start at the top of a page and work our way down to the bottom.  When kids are comfortable and familiar with books and how to handle them, it will be much easier for them to focus on the words and their meanings.  Let your kids hold the book at bedtime and turn the pages.  Be silly and hold books upside down to see if they notice!  Point out the title, author, illustrator, and any special things such as a dedication and talk about them.

How can you make print awareness come alive with your kids?  How can you use singing, talking, reading, writing, and playing part of the skill building process?  Here are some ideas, but let your imagination carry you away to even more!

Singing:
Write silly songs on a flip chart or poster board and sing them together, running your finger under the words as you go.

Talking:
Talk about all the words you see all around you.  Point out different signs.  Run your finger under words in stories and talk about what they mean. 

Reading:
Read books recommended by www.earlylit.net that help support this skill.
* Share books with writing as part of the story (Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells.)
* Share books with signs in the pictures (Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza by Philemon Sturges.)
* Share books with varying print orientations (My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann.)

Writing:
Show your child how to write their name on a nametag at storytime.  Encourage scribbling and "writing".  Drawing pictures of what happened in a story is also great for writing practice.

Playing:
Go on a word hunt.  The library or grocery store are great places for this.  Words and signs are everywhere.  Make sight word, number word, or color word flashcards to practice at home and see how many you can find when you're out and about.